Bonillas, Bananas and Bethlehem

Starting with a case of bananas, a dream, and a supportive community, this nutty family of seven grew a business from a single batch of banana bread.

Bonilla Bread was born in beautiful Bethlehem, NH when we made that inaugural batch for a donation-only field trip fundraiser. Four years later, we now deliver our products to multiple stores while continuing to sell curbside to our local community. We have big plans to keep 'rising' (pun intended).. 

One year after we'd begun our fundraising efforts, we moved to our current homestead. To say our new home needed love was an understatement, but our family had a lot to give.  

Since its construction in 1799, our iconic home has been known as the Sanborn House, the Lewis Hill Farmhouse, and several others. As the second-oldest private residence in Bethlehem, it is rife with history and the home base for Bonilla Bread.

We reached our fundraising goal for that fateful field trip after two autumns of baking. Yet the demand for our baked goods continued.

COVID-19 hit, and the shutdowns changed the world. Grocery stores remained open, but folks were nervous. Then one day, while all seven of us were raking the leaves in our yard, neighbors kept stopping, one after another, to ask if we had more bread. The number of requests that we got within one hour was astonishing.

News quickly spread, as it often does in tight-knit communities, that we were still baking despite the shutdowns. 

By month's end, we had developed a loyal following of regular customers and made it official. We were now a full-time, made-to-order bakery specializing in bread.

 Since then, our customers have kept ordering. Better yet, they've remained a constant inspiration for new ideas and flavors.  

So we continue to expand our menu and our reach.

 We are proud to be a part of Bethlehem's history and equally excited to be a part of its future.